Ryan Sharpe has just completed his MSc here at University of Manitoba (B.Sc.G.Sc.(Hons.), 2010, M.Sc., 2013) and is now working as the Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) Lab Manager in the Department of Geological Sciences, also at the U of M.

Like many students he went directly out of high school into the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba. As an elective he took "The Dynamic Earth", a 1st year geology course, and really enjoyed the content and he quickly transferred to the Riddell Faculty to pursue a degree in Geological Sciences. To quote Ryan: "I loved the practical nature of the courses and have always loved the outdoors, which is pretty much a necessity for any student in Geology".

Ryan gained a lot of experience and insight into geology through summer jobs. He worked two summers with the Manitoba Geological Survey and two Summers with Claude Resources, a gold mining and exploration company based out of Saskatchewan. However, he credits working with Dr. Mostafa Fayek on his undergraduate thesis and then his MSc as pivotal turning points. He realized the advantages of a graduate degree and then near the completion of his Masters degree he became aware of the Lab Manager job opening in the SIMS Lab.

Ryan's direct experience with the people and instruments in Geological Sciences gave him the background he needs in his current role. He also feels that he gained the expertise to work on projects with long deadlines for which he has learned to make his own deadlines and wisely use the time available. Of his career, Ryan enjoys that he is able to continue research that he started as a graduate student, and is glad that he will get to see it through to the end. Ryan never imagined he would be working at the University, he didnt plan to go on to graduate school, and even his choice of Geology was unexpected.To quote Ryan: "Even if you feel like you know exactly what you are going to do for a career, for me it was engineering, I would encourage you to try different things. There are so many opportunities out there that you don't even know exist".